


Coffee rather than compliments

by tveckling



Category: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bencutio '16 summer exchange, Benvolio is a femme fatale, M/M, Mercutio is a nuisance, honestly to god a coffee shop au - i can cross that off my fic trope list
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-16 02:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8082928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tveckling/pseuds/tveckling
Summary: Had he been anyone else Benvolio might have wished he didn't work in a Starbucks. He enjoys the variety of people he meets, however, especially one stranger who just won't reveal his name





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Bencutio summer exchange 2016. The prompt was 'Coffee shop au'.  
> I had plenty of fun writing, hope you enjoy reading it, secret prompter~

Working in a Starbucks wasn't exactly Benvolio's idea of a dream job, but it was nice enough and got the bills paid. It had been a choice between working there or working at his family's law firm, Montague, and his aunt was a scary person. Too scary. When he had gotten the chance Benvolio hadn't hesitated in grabbing the barista position, ignoring Romeo's pleading about not leaving him alone.

Despite his aunt's warnings Benvolio liked his job. Even if the pay was on the lower side he enjoyed the social part, and his customers seemed to like him back. Sometimes, though, there were the certain kinds of people that any person in a service based profession had to deal with. Some were of the type who made him almost quit, some made him question why humans weren't extinct, and some gave him experiences he wondered after if he had made up or not. 

When Benvolio glanced up at the sound of the door opening and saw the red-haired man look his way a shiver ran up his back. In what way he didn't know, but this person was going to be one of the special ones, that much he knew.

There were only two people in queue, and with Benvolio's usual quick work they were soon out of the way. When he stepped up to the counter the red-haired man smiled—quick, easy, and infectious—and leaned on one elbow.

"Hi there," he said before Benvolio had managed to get a word out. "I'm sure plenty of people ask you this, daily even, but do you come here often?"

Benvolio narrowed his eyes slightly, raising one eyebrow. "Every day, considering how I work here," he answered dryly.

The smile turned into a full-blown grin then, and Benvolio couldn't understand how he had missed the mischief in those eyes. The smile was too distracting, clearly.

"Such a fortuitous thing! Clearly I have made a grave mistake in not coming in here before, and thereby missing your company. I'll make sure to correct that, and make this part of my route from now on. Especially if it means I'll get to see your pretty face." The wink was also quite distracting.

"I'm not pretty," Benvolio answered automatically, only halfway aware that he had actually said something. He was too busy studying the other man who was—obviously and very cheesily—flirting with him.

He was tall, almost a head taller than Benvolio, which helped him look even skinnier than he probably was. The t-shirt he wore showed off his arms, making Benvolio appreciate the good weather even more. His hair was short, cut in a hairstyle that framed his face, and his eyes were clear blue. All in all he was too attractive, Benvolio thought grudgingly.

"You shouldn't say that," the man said with a deep frown, as though Benvolio had insulted him. "Beauty is in the beholder's eyes, and simply because you don't see something you like in the mirror doesn't mean that no one else does. Are you really someone who can tell a person what they do or do not find attractive?"

Benvolio blinked, wondering how he had managed to get himself into a conversation about _whether or not he was pretty_. There was also people coming into the shop, and Tybalt Capulet—lawyer working at Montague's rival firm, Capulet and Co, came by at least three times a week, always in a hurry, always two large lattes to bring with—seemed to be trying to burn holes into both Benvolio and the man flirting with him. Peter, the poor intern stood next to Tybalt, looking as miserable as he always did whenever Benvolio saw him.

Benvolio cleared his throat self-consciously. "So, is there anything-"

"Benvolio, is it?" The man smirked and ignored the fact that Benvolio had said anything. Why did he wear that damn name tag again? "It's nice, rolls off your tongue easily enough. Unusual, too. Think you can guess mine? I'll tell you though, it's probably even rarer than yours."

"Sir, I-"

"Nope! It's a nice guess, nice name, but not even close."

Tybalt was gnashing his teeth in the background; Benvolio was beginning to agree with him. In the corner of his eye Benvolio could see his colleague, Nadia, working on the other drinks, looking his way. He waved at her quickly, showing he was okay.

"Sir! What can I get you?" Benvolio asked quickly, keeping his voice as level as he could.

The Nuisance, as Benvolio had begun mentally referring him as, pouted. "Stopping the game so quickly? Boring. I'll have a venti macchiato."

Benvolio nodded and grabbed a cup and pen. "What's your name?"

"Superman."

When Benvolio looked up the Nuisance was grinning again. "What is your _actual_ name?" Benvolio asked calmly. The entirety of his annoyance was focused on his hand, and he thought he heard the pen actually crack.

"If you want my secret identity you'll have to work for it," the Nuisance said with a wink before he walked off, leaving a twenty euro note behind on the counter. "Keep the change, Benvolio."

Oh, he was going to keep it, Benvolio thought as he furiously scribbled the damn super hero name—in lack of anything else—on the cup. He was going to keep every damn cent that was left.

 

\------

 

The next day Benvolio worked by autopilot, his mind stuck on the man from the day before. He had said that he was going to come in more often, but did that mean every day? And at what time was he going to show up, different or the same? Was he going to be as absurdly handsome and annoying every time? Would he mess around just as much? Was he going to be _worse_?

It was a small miracle that there hadn't been any accidents, although both Benvolio's coworkers, Nadia in particular, and the regulars gave him strange looks. He kept looking towards the door, a feeling of anticipation in his chest every time it opened. The person walking through was never the red-haired man, though, and when lunch came around Benvolio decided he wouldn't show.

Of course it was only a few minutes after that that the man walked through the door.

As always during lunch there seemed to be a never-ending stream of people, and Benvolio didn't have time for more than quick glances at the man as he took orders as quickly as he could; each time the man was smiling and looking at him. In the area behind him Nadia and René were rushing around filling the various orders, but since there were two of them Benvolio could focus on manning the register. People queuing came and went, and Benvolio didn't remember any of their faces. The anticipation in his chest made it harder for him to focus than before, but he did his best to not let it shown, and when it was finally the man's turn Benvolio was the one who leaned on the counter with a raised eyebrow and an easy smile.

"So you did show," Benvolio said, as nonchalant as he could.

The man grinned and leaned on the counter as well, not caring that it put his and Benvolio's faces very close. Or maybe that was his plan. "I would never stand you up, not even if I had to steal a wheelchair from the hospital or escape from a jail cell."

Benvolio snorted and straightened, feeling more than a little hot and praying it didn't show. How could a person be so damn attractive? "Should I take it that such things may be a problem in the future, then?"

"Now that I have found you, no. I will do my utmost to avoid any situations that may prevent me from seeing you."

Benvolio could feel his whole face heat up, and he rubbed it with a groan. "How can you say such cheesy things? With a straight face?"

The Nuisance—the title was truly fitting—grinned wide and answered, "Trust me, no part of me is straight, least of all my face."

"Sweet Jesus," Benvolio muttered, shaking his head.

The door opened, and by reflex Benvolio glanced up at it. Tybalt and Peter, with Tybalt entering first in a brisk pace as usual. Then he looked to the register and stopped. The expression that Tybalt's face took then was one of the most fascinating Benvolio had seen—a mixture of surprise, dismay, anger, and constipation. Peter looked curiously over Tybalt's shoulder, and they almost bumped foreheads when Tybalt abruptly turned around. Tybalt gestured, and Benvolio could hear his voice, and then he left, leaving poor Peter behind.

He would be extra kind to Peter when it was his turn, Benvolio thought and turned his attention back to the Nuisance. Who was watching him, he discovered.

"What?" Benvolio demanded.

"Nothing, it's just that you seemed to disappear for a moment there." The Nuisance tilted his head and smiled. "So I took the opportunity to admire you."

"You say the cheesiest _and_ the creepiest things," Benvolio said and crossed his arms. "Why shouldn't I ask you to leave?"

"Because I'm adorable?" the Nuisance asked and batted his eyes.

Benvolio chuckled and shook his head with a big smile. "I suppose you are." He didn't miss the way the Nuisance's eyes widened, ever so slightly, and it made Benvolio feel much better. "So, what do you want today?"

The Nuisance cleared his throat—had that small concession really affected him that much?—and said with a wide grin. "I suppose you're not available?"

"You're trying a bit too hard," Benvolio said dryly. "You want a venti macchiato again?"

"Yes, please," the Nuisance said with a pout.

Benvolio looked away to grab a cup before he could admit to himself that it was the cutest thing he had seen in a long while.

"So," he said quickly, still looking down at the cup, "What shall we call you today? Maybe your actual name?"

"Why, Benvolio, asking for such an intimate detail even before our first date? I'm shocked, absolutely shocked."

Benvolio rolled his eyes and waved the cup and pen in the Nuisance's face. "Why don't you write it then so I don't have to deal with it?"

The Nuisance hummed as he wrote something on the cup, then handed it over with a mischievous smile. Benvolio wanted to hit him with the cup when he read what was written on it.

"You were Superman yesterday, you can't be Batman today. You just can't!"

"But how do you know that Batman really isn't Superman when he has to be less super?" The Nuisance asked in a sing-song voice.

"Because I've read the freaking comics, and seen the shows, and watched the movies!" Benvolio wanted to throttle the other man, no longer caring about how attractive he was. He was clearly just pushing Benvolio to madness, but how could someone claim such a stupid thing?

"Get a move on already!" someone shouted from further back in the huge queue that had formed without Benvolio noticing.

Benvolio jerked guiltily and glared at the Nuisance. "Fine! This once I'll accept it, but only because it's lunch and you really need to get a move on. One venti macchiato, it'll be 4,99 and your 'name' will be called when it's ready."

The Nuisance put down a note on the counter and blew a kiss towards Benvolio. "I'll talk to you more tomorrow then, my dear."

Benvolio rolled his eyes again and picked up the money. Another twenty euro note. While quickly pushing the buttons on the register he pursed his lips, feeling somewhat annoyed. Did the other man think he was in need of money, and that was why he kept leaving him extra money? Was he thinking Benvolio only tolerated him because he got money for it? Did he think he could actually buy Benvolio's time and attention?

If he could he would have called the other man back and have him explain, but the next customer—the next, very annoyed customer—was already in his face and rattling off her order, so Benvolio had no choice but to continue with his actual job. He would just have to demand an explanation the next day instead.

 

\------

 

Benvolio hadn't really expected the man until later in the afternoon, but it wasn't even half past six when the door opened and a familiar figure entered, almost crashing into Tybalt. With a wince Benvolio wondered if there was going to be a fight, what with the way Tybalt glowered, but the Nuisance only grinned and said something quickly before he walked with light steps towards Benvolio. Tybalt glared after him for a few seconds, but then he ripped open the door and disappeared.

"Benvolio, you're a sight for sore eyes! It warms my heart to see you," the Nuisance said with a flourish when he reached the counter.

"And you just make friends wherever you go, I see," Benvolio commented with a raised eyebrow.

"What can I say, the man has a such a sunny disposition, and such charisma. He just pulls me to him," the Nuisance said with an innocent face.

Benvolio snorted and shook his head. There would be at least half an hour until the morning people started hurrying into the shop, so he didn't have the pressure of a queue, unlike the day before.

Remembering the earlier day made Benvolio think of the money again, and his smile disappeared. When he looked at the Nuisance he felt the annoyance rise within him. "You can explain something to me," he said lowly. "What is the deal with you leaving all the extra money? Fifteen euro, each time. Do you think I need it, or do you have some other thought? Are you actually trying to buy me somehow?"

The Nuisance gaped at him, and Benvolio might have felt a tinge of regret and embarrassment, but he continued glaring.

"No! No, I wouldn't- I don't think that! Any of it. I wouldn't know if you're in need of money or anything, and I don't go around handing out money randomly like that, and I am not trying to—I can't believe I'm saying this—I'm not trying to buy you. If I did I would leave a lot more than just twenty euro." The Nuisance winked, but his attempt at cheer fell short and Benvolio just continued glaring. Sighing he leaned forward. "See, I know I take a lot of your time, more than I should, and I don't want you to be annoyed with me. So I try to leave some tip for you, so you won't be mad at me for coming back and taking more of your time? It just happens that I, well, have a lot of money? So leaving five euro, twenty euro, fifty euro, it's basically all the same to me. I don't think about it much. I'm... I'm sorry."

He actually looked embarrassed, Benvolio noted and felt his chest lighten. Maybe he was a thoughtless ass, but he hadn't seemed to mean anything by it.

"Fine, I accept your apology. Just don't do it again, okay? If you absolutely have to spend that much money on me, you could just buy me dinner instead, or something," Benvolio said with a chuckle.

"Oh, so buying you dinner is fine then?" the Nuisance asked with a smirk.

Benvolio considered him, openly looking him up and down. The Nuisance held out his arms with a grin and waggling eyebrows. Barely managing to push down a smile Benvolio instead pursed his lips and shrugged.

"That depends. I will not go to dinner with someone who insists on going by silly super hero names, that's for sure."

The Nuisance gasped dramatically and put a hand on his chest. "You mock me and the respected profession of so many heroes! I thought better of you, Benvolio. I'm truly disappointed in you."

Benvolio snorted. "I take it that's a no to the dinner then."

"You, who mock the very foundations of our glorious world, you should be ashamed for trying to smooch free dinners from poor civilians like me," the Nuisance said with a haughty sniff. "Even if your pretty face would certainly allow you to lure many hapless creatures into such traps."

"You make me sound like some sort of Femme Fatale," Benvolio said and shook his head. Better that than protesting the 'pretty' comment again, even if it did make him uneasy to hear it. He, of all people, was nowhere near pretty.

"To me you are," the Nuisance purred. When Benvolio grimaced at him he only winked.

"Fine." Benvolio crossed his arms. "If I am, then how come I can't make you tell me your actual name?"

"A super hero doesn't reveal their secret identity, and a magician never reveals their tricks. How can you expect me to reveal my intimate, the essence of who I am, just like that?"

"You're so full of bullshit," Benvolio said and rolled his eyes. "But if you don't want me to know, then we'll go with that. You want a venti macchiato again, right?"

"You wound me, you truly do." The Nuisance heaved a heavy sigh and pouted at Benvolio. "Yes, I'll have a venti macchiato. Please, with a cherry on top?"

Benvolio shook his head, but he didn't try to suppress his smile. "And what shall we call you today?"

"I was thinking... how about Mr Awesome?"

Benvolio truly was in a good mood, because he only shook his head and wrote it down with a chuckle. "Super hero name makes no dinner, gotcha. And with you paying this makes the end of our conversation."

"Until next time then, my dearest Benvolio," the Nuisance said and slid over a note. As he took a step backwards he actually bowed before turning around and going off to wait.

This time he had left a five euro note, Benvolio noted, and his smile widened as he worked the register. When he turned around to hand Nadia the cup he was met by her leaning against the wall, looking smug and entirely too amused.

"Shut up," Benvolio muttered and pushed the cup at her. She was going to be impossible for the rest of the day, now that she had found out about the very attractive man flirting with Benvolio. Some people was too invested in others' love lives.

It didn't manage to remove all of Benvolio's good mood, though, and he greeted the next customer with an easy smile.

 

\-------

 

The day had been exhausting and Benvolio was so tired. It was the end on the afternoon, and soon his shift would be over. Adding to his exhaustion was also the disappointment that the Nuisance hadn't showed up at all; their conversations, although few in number, had become something of a daily highlight for Benvolio, and it would have been nice that day in particular.

He was serving Tybalt who was busy discussing something about a case with Peter. It was a lot of law lingo and details that threatened to bore Benvolio to tears, and he wished they'd just remember to pay and go away so he wouldn't have to listen to them any longer. Apparently they were getting a large helping of coffee for an all-nighter, and Benvolio privately thought that he would also be forced to have an all-nighter if they didn't pay soon.

Soon, soon he would be able to go home. Maybe gorge himself on pizza and watch a movie. That sounded like a good plan, he decided.

When the door opened he didn't react, since it was right then that he received the money from an apologetic Peter. With half a mind he heard Tybalt and Peter walk away to wait for their coffees, but most of his focus was on the register. Behind him René was already working on the order.

"You look tired. How are you doing, Benvolio?"

Benvolio closed his eyes and felt a small smile make its way to his face at the voice. A part of the exhaustion disappeared when he looked into the concerned face in front of him.

"I'm fine," he answered. "It's been a long day, but it's almost done, and then I will be able to go home and rest."

The Nuisance sighed and leaned on the counter, putting his chin in one hand. "I was held up at work, or I'd have swung by much earlier. Sorry about that."

"I can't imagine you with a job," Benvolio mused aloud, grinning when the Nuisance pouted at him. "It's not like I would have had to deal with less people if you had showed up earlier, so I don't get why you're apologizing."

"I don't know. Because you're tired and feeling bad, and I'm sorry about that? I like it when you're smiling much more, rather than this tiredness." The Nuisance reached out one hand to lightly stroke Benvolio's cheek.

Suddenly Benvolio wasn't feeling nearly as tired, and he cleared his throat. "Well, like I said, it's nothing you can do anything about, so... venti macchiato?"

"Yes," the Nuisance said thoughtfully.

Benvolio distracted himself from wondering what the other man was thinking about by grabbing cup and pen. "Name? No—" he glared darkly, "—super hero names tonight. Show me you can come up with something else."

"Hmm, how about..." The Nuisance looked around, and when he saw Tybalt standing a bit further away his whole face lit up. "Write 'Tybalt Capulet' on it. Or no, how about 'Prince of Cats'? Or simply 'kitten'? That works too."

A low growl caught Benvolio's attention and he watched with wide eyes as Peter held back a furious Tybalt. "Escalus, you bastard, I'll-"

"You want another fight, Kitten?" The Nuisance grinned widely as he leaned against the counter, his arms loosely crossed over his chest. "I will happily oblige you, but it'll have to wait until another day. From what I heard you have an _important_ case coming up, don't you? Wouldn't want to show up to court with split lips and black eyes again, would you?"

"You-" Tybalt tried to push Peter off of him, but despite his small size Peter was more stubborn than Benvolio had thought and determinedly pulled Tybalt back towards the exit.

"Tybalt, sir, no- remember your aunt- she'll get terribly angry if you get in a fight again! Please just go ahead and I'll take the coffee with me," Peter panted.

Benvolio watched everything with wide, terrified eyes, barely daring to breathe. Apparently the Nuisance—Escalus?—had a history of sorts with Tybalt Capulet, and it was a violent one. No wonder Tybalt had reacted like he did every time they met.

The Nuisance was watching the spectacle too, but with amusement. Benvolio decided that he would demand the whole history, because that was the least the other man could do in return for giving Benvolio a large dash of excitement he hadn't asked for.

"Fine!" Tybalt finally pushed Peter away, but instead of charging at the Nuisance—he looked like he didn't want to do anything else—he turned away and disappeared through the door without a word, slamming it shut behind him.

Peter took a deep breath then turned around and looked at Benvolio. "I am so, so sorry for this."

"No, don't worry about it. It wasn't me he was angry at," Benvolio answered quickly.

"Um, your coffees will be ready soon," Nadia said quietly from where she had watched. She looked even more freaked out than Benvolio felt.

"Right. Thank you. I'll just, uh, go and sit down. And wait," Peter said awkwardly and then escaped to the other side of the room.

The Nuisance shrugged and turned back to Benvolio with a sunny smile, although it did falter a bit when he was met with Benvolio's glare. 

"What the hell?" Benvolio demanded.

"Old friend. Long history," the Nuisance said. "I can tell you all about it, if you want?"

Benvolio sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I will definitely hold you to that one day, but I think I prefer to just skip out earlier today and go home. Venti macchiato?"

The Nuisance looked down at the counter, silent, and Benvolio wondered if he had done something wrong—which was ridiculous, because he was the tired and innocent one, not the one who almost started a fight. Before he could decide what exactly to do the Nuisance looked up again, a surprisingly earnest look on his face.

"Yes, please. And please give me the cup and the pen," he asked.

Curious Benvolio did as he asked and watched while he wrote down something on the side of the cup.

After returning the items the Nuisance leaned against the counter and smiled. "So, about that dinner?"

Benvolio felt a small fluttering in the bottom of his stomach, and he smiled back. "Well, 'Mercutio', I might be interested in this dinner. As long as you're buying."

"How do you feel about pizza? I know a place not far from here that serves amazing ones, and at this time there shouldn't be many there," Mercutio suggested.

"That sounds like a nice idea, as long as you promise there will be no more fights."

"That, my dear, is a promise no man can make."

Benvolio shook his head at the twinkle in Mercutio's eyes, but he still had a smile on his face. Pizza was part of his plan. Getting a movie added shouldn't be too hard a problem, he hoped. Better than staying at home all alone.

 

\------

 

Benvolio smiled widely and leaned his elbows on the counter. Mercutio did the same, wearing what Benvolio thought was such a dopey smile. He hoped his smile wasn't as bad.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," Mercutio answered, simply.

"I said hi first."

"It's not like you have monopoly of the word. Just me."

"You two are disgusting," Nadia said as she walked past behind Benvolio. "I wish you'd never gotten on that date. You've been all disgusting after that. Weeks I've had to endure this!"

"I thought you wanted us to get together," Mercutio said with a pout. "Volio said you harassed him about it, even."

"Well, I didn't think you'd be like this, and definitely not here, at work, right in my face. Besides, it's funny to get people together, but not as funny when they're shoving their happiness in your face afterwards. Ugh, couples." Nadia rolled her eyes and walked away, going back to fighting with the espresso machine.

Mercutio sniggered and leaned forward, stealing a quick kiss from Benvolio. "It's nice when people are jealous of you, isn't it?"

Benvolio smiled. "That depends. I do prefer it when my colleagues aren't angry at me, considering how I have to work with them, but otherwise I suppose it's nice."

Mercutio poked a finger at Benvolio's cheek, and kept poking lightly while he talked. "No one can be really angry with you, though, you're too nice and happy and precious and cute and-"

"Yes, yes." Benvolio waved away the finger and straightened. "I'm the best person alive, and everyone loves me, I know. You're lucky to be my boyfriend, you know."

"Yeah, I am. I do love you, you know."

Mercutio's smile was so smitten that Benvolio immediately felt his face heat up. He really wasn't used to having a boyfriend who actually seemed to like and even love him, and wasn't afraid to say it. Hopefully he would get used to it.

"Go sit down, I'll be out with your drink soon. I'll tell Nadia I'm taking my break," Benvolio said.

Mercutio grinned and pushed away from the counter, sauntering over to a chair nearby.

Benvolio looked after him until he sat down, then walked off to do as he had said. When he walked out again he had two steaming warm cups in his hand. As he sat down in a chair opposite Mercutio he sipped from his own cup.

Mercutio smiled and leaned forward to grab his cup, then stopped and read what was written on the side. Raising an eyebrow he looked at Benvolio. "'Nuisance'?"

Benvolio only smiled.


End file.
